Missing
by Whouffle and Souffles
Summary: AU: Clara is the youngest Winchester sibling, and Dean and Sam come to visit after working a job. But what happens when Clara goes missing? Could her disappearance be linked with the strange new creatures they're fighting, and what is that blue box doing everywhere they go? [In progress, please read and review!]
1. Chapter 1

Waking up to the smell of bacon frying was one of Dean's favourite ways to wake up, if not his favourite. It was something that he'd never tire of, however old he got. His baby sister waking up early just to make him breakfast. It was clear that Sam was already awake, so he heaved himself out of his makeshift bed on the sofa and walked into the kitchen, seeing Sam leaning against the counters with a coffee in his hand, and Clara busying herself over the stove, toast popping up as she started plating up sausages and bacon. With a smile at the sound of his heavy boots, Clara acknowledged his presence.

"Morning." She said, the smile on her face evident in her voice, not even having to turn around. She always seemed to be the most cheerful of the three. Dean nodded his reply and sat himself down, letting out a groan of delight in the simple pleasure that he didn't get quite often enough. "I figured I'd make you two a decent breakfast. God only knows how many you get on the road. You should come visit more often, y'know I'm a pretty good cook." Clara smiled, burning her fingers slightly as she put the toast onto two plates. Sam smiled down at his sister, shaking his head.

"You know we're busy, we don't really settle down much. Actually, we're just here because we finished a job, thought we'd come say hi. Couple of demons in—"

"Stop right there." Clara laughed, shaking her head as she poured some beans on top of the toast. "It's good to know I was the reason you came, so stop talking about your work. You're having today and tomorrow off, at least." She insisted, putting an egg on each plate before she carried them over to the little table. "I don't see you boys anymore; the least you can do for me is stop talking about work and just enjoy the free food and my company." Clara said, leaning herself back against the counters and watching as Sam sat himself down opposite Dean, the two hungrily tucking in to the breakfast. Deciding that the silence as they ate was probably the closest she'd get to a compliment, she crossed back over to the sink and started washing up, looking up at the window sill, checking for any gaps in the salt lines. None there, even though she'd had the windows open overnight. She couldn't help but smile, plunging her hands into the sink and washing up the pots. Sure it was a lot more effort than she normally put into making breakfast, but this was her brothers. Just seeing them alive made it worth it.

"What d'you do out here on your own?" Sam asked, looking over to his sister. They may not see each other much anymore, but both of the boys still cared for her and worried about her when they needed to. And when they didn't. "Doesn't it ever get lonely out here?"

"You say that like you think I'm some kind of recluse. I _do_ have a boyfriend." She reminded them. "Anyway, I rang Danny last night. He's okay with us putting back our date, he's heard all about you both so he's happy for me to spend some time with you." Clara said, turning back around to them. "I actually thought we could just do something that isn't hunting. I mean, I'll take you on a supply run for salt if you need it, but otherwise we're not going to mention it. We can go to the fair, the beach, whatever you want." She suggested, looking as the two boys exchanged glances between each other.

Dean cleared his throat before speaking. "Look, Clara. We don't really do much other than hunt these days. I mean, nothing we could ever do with our baby sister."

"Strippers?"

"Strippers." He laughed, smiling over at her and shaking his head. "We appreciate the sentiment, but we should really get going."

"Don't even think about it. Stay tonight, then go tomorrow, but you're staying for at least tonight." Clara warned them. "Get some proper food in you, get proper showers, proper rest. I'll make you take care of yourselves while you're here; God only knows what you do when you've not got me to keep an eye on you."

That was where the conversation ended, the two boys silently agreeing with their sister as they tucked back into their breakfasts (which were incredible, but neither seemed to want to boost her ego any more) and as Clara finished cleaning up after herself. There was a strange, contented lull over the house. Neither of the boys could remember someone else looking after them like this, at least not recently. And at the same time, they could both think of nothing other than how much Clara had grown up since they'd last seen her. She must've been 15 when John had gone missing, and they'd both felt guilty as hell for leaving her alone, but they wouldn't let her go hunting with them. It was far too dangerous. Sure she'd been on a couple of hunts before, but that had been something completely different. The thought of her having a boyfriend was scary enough for them, but she was 19 now, she could have a boyfriend if she wanted and they couldn't stop her. Not that they would, they wanted her to have a normal life. Hell, that was another reason they hadn't taken her on many hunts. But she had still picked up the tricks of the trade from John, she had still insisted on going on hunts with Dean, and had been more than a slightly good hunter (in fact, she was probably better than Dean had been at that age). If nothing else, it gave the boys a sense of comfort that she could handle her own if they couldn't come and help her out when she was in trouble.

"It's a twenty minute drive into town." Clara told them, drying her hands on a cloth before she crossed to the hallway, looking for her purse and keys. "So I'll be back in about an hour or so, I need to get some more food in for tonight, I'll get some more salt for you two. Anything else you need?" She called, wanting to take care of them as well as she could. After all, she was returning the favour. They'd practically pampered her as a child. They were her big brothers, her knights in shining armour, and there was nothing she wouldn't do for the two of them.

"Burgers are always good." Dean called, before quickly adding. "And _pie_!"

There was a laugh, followed by a quiet goodbye as the door closed and the house was still, the two boys looking at each other over their empty plates. It felt strange to be on the receiving such treatment from Clara, since they normally gave it to her, but they couldn't help but enjoy it.

"Gonna let her paint your nails again Dean?"

"If she tries to plait your hair." He teased back, standing himself up and taking the two plates over to the sink. "So, what've you got?" Dean asked, deciding to help out and wash up before Clara returned. "Somethin' about faceless people?"

"Yeah." Sam said, thinking and pausing before he spoke again. "Uh, yeah. They've all been found faceless, literally faceless. Skin pulled right off their heads." He said, Dean pulling a face before Sam continued. "All young girls, and every time people have said they've seen some blue box nearby, weird British one, from the 60's."

"So, we've got something British with a fetish for girl's faces and 1960's blue boxes? Gotta admit Sammy, that's weird, even for us. How'd we find it? Go into town and offer free tea until some spirit shows up, and then give it salt rather than sugar?" He joked, though his tone was serious.

"It could just be some demon, or a spirit, or maybe it's something new. We need to see it first, 'cause I really don't know this time Dean." He admitted, before his brother interjected.

"You want us to go into town and wait around until some poor girl gets her face ripped off by something? Sammy that ain't happenin', if there's already been a couple we're not lettin' any more die. What if the next one was Clara? What if we had to let her die just to find out what this thing was? We need to know now." He said sternly, which took Sam aback slightly. But he wasn't overly surprised. Being around Clara seemed to change him, make him more protective, and when she was in danger he wasn't to be messed with. "I know she doesn't want us hunting, but I'm not leaving her in danger. As soon as she gets back, she's not going back out unless we're with her, or until we've got this sorted."

Sam nodded, agreeing silently before going to get his laptop and open it up. "I'll see what I can find out. You go get a shower or something, you smell like a dog's dinner." He joked, which managed to amuse Dean enough to make him laugh.

# # #

Dean showered, the hot water running over his body feeling amazing. Normally, they just got stuck with some crappy motel shower which was beyond cold, or lukewarm. It stung a little as it ran over one of his more recent cuts down his arm, but he paid no attention to it, he was beyond used to the painful sensation. Even if he did come out of the shower smelling like coconut with vanilla extract, he couldn't have enjoyed it more. It felt homely, all these little things made the time he was spending with his sister so much better, because he never got the little things like this. Coming out of the shower, he couldn't help but go into her bedroom and have a look around. He was nosey, and he wanted to make sure his sister was looking after herself right.

While he made her bed for her, he couldn't help but catch sight of a framed photograph, one he'd forgotten about. Him, Sammy, and Clara, one of his favourite memories with her. Sure it was old, but nothing made him smile more than a picture of Sammy in full makeup – pink lipstick and blue eye shadow – a young Clara looking more than slightly proud, and Dean just standing there smiling, the three looking into the camera happily. It made Dean happy, the fact that they'd been able to give Clara a proper childhood, and memories that she would cherish forever, rather than have her hunting demons from the tender age. She must've been about 10 in the picture, and by that age Dean would either be protecting Sammy and Clara, cooking meals, looking after the hotel room and shooting any demons that tried to come near. He hoped that Clara had been young enough then to have forgotten all that happening, but he knew she wouldn't. No one ever did, ever could. He was just glad that she wasn't a hunter now. At least, if she was, she kept it well hidden. Of course she had salt around most openings in the house, but he hoped that was just an old habit.

He caught sight of a few other pictures by her bed, must've been the boyfriend she'd mentioned. They were certainly more recent, and she looked very happy in them. It was all he wanted for her, a proper life; something like a boyfriend was more than good in Dean's books.

Before he felt like he was prying too much, Dean made his way back downstairs and took out his own computer, sitting himself down opposite Sam and starting to type away, see if he could find anything out about what was going on, and how to keep Clara safe.

# # #

The two boys sat in silence opposite each other as they worked for a while, neither really watching the time pass for a while, before Sam piped up.

"When did Clara leave?" He asked, glancing down to the clock of his computer. It was past 1 by then, and he furrowed his brows. "She made breakfast, and we weren't up that late." Sam said, Dean too looking at the time and feeling worry build up in his chest.

"Maybe she just saw her boyfriend." Dean suggested, but he stood up and slipped into his jacket all the same, not wanting to take any risks. Sam got up and walked out of the house, his brother close on his heels as the two hurriedly got into the Impala, pulling away at speed and driving off towards the town.

# # #

When they arrived, the drove around more slowly, both looking out carefully for any sign of Clara or her car. They'd thought it would have been easier to spot, but almost every car seemed to look the same all of a sudden. Perhaps it was the worry running through their minds that made it harder for them to work, but after driving round in circles, Sam finally spotted it.

"There-!" He yelled, pointing at a car in a parking lot, Clara's car. Dean pulled over quickly, before jumping out and starting to look around for Clara, for any _sign _that she might be here, or that something had happened. Right now, anything was better than nothing.

"Excuse me," he said, grabbing the arm of a young woman walking past him, Sam getting out of the car. "Have you seen a girl? Shoulder height on that guy, brown hair, lovely smile. Said she was coming shopping but she's not come home yet." Dean asked, panic in his voice. It was a new side of him that Sam had never seen. He didn't like it either. This wasn't normal worried Dean. Normal worried Dean kept his fear under control; he kept his head and sorted things out. This was new. This was terrified, helpless Dean. The woman simply shook her head and walked away from him, Dean looking over to Sam.

"If someone had lost their face, people would know, right? There'd be a big fuss, that blue box, and there's been none of that, so she's got to be okay, right?" He asked, running his hand over his face in worry. Sam wanted to help, but he didn't know how. Seeing Dean this worried put him beyond on-edge, and he was only like that because he thought of himself as Clara's guardian now they didn't have any parents, a responsibility that he shouldn't have.

And then, there was a scream.

Both boys looked up in the direction of the voice, no idea whose it was, but it was definitely female. Within seconds, they'd opened up the trunk of the car and Sam had grabbed a gun, Dean grabbing a bag of salt and an iron bar, before they took off running. Their minds were racing. It hadn't sounded like Clara, but for all they knew it could be. That could be their sister losing her face, their sister _dying _in the most cruel and horrible way they could imagine. The fear spurred them along, leading them down and alley way to see a girl being held down by a group of very strange looking beings, certainly not human, and clearly fighting for her life. It wasn't Clara, but it didn't stop them from helping. Sam fired his gun once, hitting one of those monsters in the side and causing it to stumble back, the other's all pulling away from the woman to see their attackers. While Sam continued to shoot at the remaining creatures, which seemed more than easy enough to take down, Dean ran up to the girl and helped her to sit up, looking her over for injuries. It was primarily her face that had been wounded, leading him to believe that whatever was killing the girls in this way, they'd just gotten rid of. Though the thought that Clara was still out there was still in the front of his mind, he pulled out his phone and dialled for an ambulance, glancing over to check that Sam was okay, before he started speaking.

Normally, saving someone's life and killing whatever was trying to kill them was a victory in Dean's book, but it wasn't this time. Because he'd lost his little sister, he was supposed to watch out for her and she was gone. No trace of where she was, where she'd gone, where she could go, or even why she'd gone. All that was going through his mind was all of the _worst case scenario's _that could have happened, and the worst part was they could have all happened. He needed to know where his sister was, and he wasn't going to stop until he found her. Safe, and alive.

**AN: **Hope you all enjoyed the fic, please review and keep reading!


	2. Chapter 2

_"Can I have another story Sammy?" The little voice asked, hopeful brown eyes lighting up as the moonlight streamed through the window, Dean clambering over his sister carefully to lay a salt line on the windowsill, before letting the curtains fall shut again, plunging the room into darkness. Sam shook his head, standing up from where he sat by her. He was 12, but had aged beyond his years after helping Dean look after Clara. Normally, she'd flash her puppy eyes and the boys would be putty in her hands, but she was too tired. Sam pulled the duvet up for her, tucking his sister in and smiling, before pushing her hair out of her eyes and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Dean, hands in his pockets, stood at the foot of her bed with a brave and proud stance. He was only 16, but already very well built and matured; his eyes giving away the horrors that no boy his age should have ever seen, yet he had._

_"Goodnight princess." He told her with a charming smile and a soft voice, tenderly addressing the only girl he thought he could ever truly love. Both boys then crossed the room, floorboards creaking beneath their feet. But before they were out of sight, Clara whispered._

_"Come back," her voice was urgent and full of fear, both Sam and Dean turning their heads quickly. "I'm scared of the dark, I can't sleep." She told them. Dean was the first to move, walking to her side and crouching by her head, his hand moving to her head to gently stroke her hair._

_"Sammy 'nd me, we'll protect you." He said, giving Sam the nod. "We'll sit here 'nd watch over you, okay?"_

_Clara nodded, watching as Sam came back and handed Dean his pistol, before settling himself down next to her bed. Neither were taking any risks, not after what had happened to her last time, and they still hadn't told John. They weren't intending on telling John what had happened to her. Dean leaned in closer to his 5 year old sister and smiled. "Any monsters try and hurt you; I'll send 'em runnin', okay?" A nod. Clara settled herself back down into her bed, closing her eyes. Dean joined Sam on the floor, groaning as he lowered himself down onto the cold wooden floorboards. _

_"And I will __**always **__be here for you."_

_Those were the last words spoken that night, Clara soon falling into a calm but deep slumber, contented with the knowledge that her brothers were there to keep her safe. And the boys never left where they were sat, remaining still and vigilant in order to protect their sister from any monster, real or imaginary, that could possibly torment her. Sam was the first to fall asleep, Dean trying his hardest to keep awake all night. Though he knew he needed rest himself, he'd never forgive himself if something else were to happen to Clara because he'd fallen asleep. Eventually, he too felt his exhaustion prove too great, eyes drooping shut and his body softly slumping onto the floor, sleeping until he-_

-woke up. Dean brought a hand to his head and slowly sat up from his makeshift bed on the sofa, tossing the soft throw aside and putting one of his sister's cushions back where it belonged. Clara's house. _Clara_. Where was she? Had it all just been some terrible dream? Running a hand over his face to wake him up, Dean pushed himself up with one hand, broken nails catching on the fabric before he tugged away at them and stood up. Looking around, there was no sign of panicking, but he knew that Sam was keeping his composure about this. He had to. If Dean wasn't calm, it fell to Sam to act as if he had some control over the situation. And Dean wanted to be calm, but he had never lost Clara before. This was new, this was scary. As he walked through the lounge and into the kitchen, his heavy boots echoing on the floor, he couldn't help but smell the breakfast Clara had cooked yesterday, still clinging to the curtains and the furniture. He wondered how often she cooked like that, and he remembered then how little he knew about his sister. Always going off on hunts meant he barely got to see her, and it was something he knew that he'd regret. He just didn't want it to be so soon.

"Heard anything?" He asked gruffly, his voice low and his breath still smelling of alcohol. If nothing else, that told him yesterday certainly hadn't been a dream.

There was a long pause before Sam's reply, causing Dean to wonder if he was even awake. "No." His voice came, solemn and quiet. It seemed that neither of them wanted to imagine Clara having disappeared, been kidnapped, or worse, but this wasn't like her. Of course, neither knew what _was _like her, but they were sure this wasn't it. She'd been raised by hunters, the last thing she'd do was go off without telling them.

With a small grunt, Dean sat himself down on one of Clara's chair, listening to it creak ever so slightly under his weight. Looking at several pieces of paper Sam had laid out on the surface; he stretched out his long fingers and started to slowly move them around, investigating everything closely.

"This isn't a lead." He said, still looking through the files. "Sam, this is a case. This isn't our sister. Have you forgotten about her already?"

Sam's head jerked upwards sharply and he looked at Dean, his lips pressed together and his tongue running over the back of his teeth. The accusation was enough to make him want to yell, but he wasn't going to. Dean needed him, and he needed Dean. It would do them no good to be fighting when they could be looking for Clara.

"I figured she might have gone off hunting." He said, looking back at his computer and typing away again. "She's a hunter, it's possible."

"Clara is _not _a hunter." Dean said sternly, standing himself back up and crossing the kitchen, turning on a tap at the sink and letting cold water flow over his hardened skin. "Clara was _never _a hunter." He repeated, cupping his hands together before throwing the water on his face, rubbing it over his cheeks and chin before grabbing a towel and drying himself off, looking back over to Sam. "We made that promise when we got her, remember. She would never be a hunter."

"Well maybe she had a different idea. You know Clara, she always begged to come on hunts with you, wanted to know where dad was… Asked about her mum. Dean, you can't expect someone to grow up with us and not become a hunter. I mean, look at us. Look at _me_. I never wanted to be a hunter, but we don't get a choice. You get dragged into it. So look, just work with me. This could be something."

"And what if it's not Clara? What then?"

"Then we get rid of some demons and keep looking."

There was a moment of tense silence between the boys. Neither wanted to admit that by now, the worst could have happened, that the demons they were looking for may have already taken Clara, or worse. And Dean didn't want to admit that Sam was right. Even if Clara was gone, they couldn't lose focus. They had to keep fighting these things. That was there job. Losing family members just seemed to have been in the small print neither read when they signed the contract.

"So where is it?" He asked, his voice gruff as he made his way back to the table, scooping up the papers and flicking through them, skim reading what was on the page.

"Down in Oklahoma, Smithville - couple of hour's drive." He explained, looking over to Dean. While his brother wasn't watching him, he allowed his composure to slip and worry became etched onto his face. Worry for his sister. They'd chosen to protect her and they'd failed. And that hurt him. Dean couldn't help but watch his brother out of the corner of his eyes, knowing that Clara wasn't the only sibling it was his responsibility to look after. With a slight cough, he nodded and turned his attention back to Sam fully, his face changing before he could even turn his head.

"Get your coat." Dean told him, turning on the spot and walking out of the house.

# # #

It wasn't the first time that the atmosphere had been so thick in the Impala. The silence couldn't have been broken with a sharp knife. Talking was out of the question. All they wanted to do was think, find Clara, and make sure she was safe. The fact that Dean had neglected to put any music on to cover the silence showed just how much he wanted to focus on nothing but driving and finding his sister. It almost frightened Sam, seeing Dean like this. It was rare for him to be this way, and he _knew _things were bad when he was.

As they drove on, grassland turning to trees and mountains, they both became more alert, looking for any sign of supernatural activity. The minutes had turned to hours, and the silent journey had slowly but surely begun to reach its close. It was then that Dean first broke the silence, looking over to Sam.

"So what're these sons of bitches up to? Is this gonna be a walk in the park or not?"

"Well, doesn't look like anything more than a couple of black eyes, so it's not too bad. Still, they might have a few tricks up their sleeves. Y'know what demons are like." He commented, trying to lighten the tone slightly.

"Alright. Salt, iron, trap, should be easy enough." His voice was anything but light. Dean wasn't joking around like he used to. Sam understood why, of course he did, but God was it going to get boring if he was like this all the time.

"It's a small town." Sam warned. "They're not gonna take too kindly to us coming in and screwin' them over. So just, play it cool. Wait until something happens and then we'll sort it."

Dean simply grunted as some form of reply, before he focused on driving once more. They were arriving, and Sam wasn't lying. The place was tiny, run down, and certainly not seeming very happy to have the two there. Just driving down the road, they saw people stopping and turning to look at them, suspicious of the arrival of two strange boys as they pulled over to the side of the road. Dean was the first to get out of the car, followed shortly by Sam. Checking their pockets, they both checked they had their FBI ID's, before walking down the street together. The air felt cold here, and it wasn't just the time of year, the altitude, or the stares of the people. It was different. As the wind blew through the branches of the trees and sent a few pieces of old newspaper flying around, Dean passed a comment to Sam.

"So, where d' we start lookin'? Anyone in particular you're interested in?"

"There's a family, reported their daughter had been acting out. Her friends reckon they'd seen her with black eyes, and now she's disappeared."

"Oh good, startin' with the missin' girl. Y'know Sam, you always find the most _uplifting _jobs." He said, the sarcasm evident in his tone as he stopped in his tracks to look up at his brother. He wasn't angry at him, but his words were harsh.

"In our line of work? This _is _the most uplifting job." Sam admitted. "At least we're gonna save the poor girl." Starting off down the street again, Dean chuckled dryly.

"We hope." The mutter left the man's mouth as he walked on with his younger brother, shoes kicking up dry leaves as he went.

# # #

The house, it turned out, was an old house, with a well-kept lawn and a white picket fence, a car in the driveway and a flowerbed of dying plants. It would have been the ideal American house in the country had it been summer and the world been in bloom, but now everything looked cold and dead. In the window, there were several posters, both boys immediately recognising it as the daughter who had gone missing. Dean stood his ground for a moment at the end of the driveway, looking at the poster with a heavy heart. He never knew what people were going through when they did this sort of thing, give them false hope that the authorities were getting involved. But this time, he did. A lost family member, however long they'd been gone, hurt.

Walking slowly up the path, he put his hand in his pocket and grabbed the ID, before approaching and knocking on the door to the house. It was a few moments before a shuffling around was heard on the inside, before a woman opened the door and looked at the two boys in front of her. She was in her late 40's, greying at the roots but clearly still dying her hair. Her face was wrinkled around her eyes and lips, but she looked very tired and _very _worried. Pulling out their ID's, Sam spoke.

"Hello there. We're Agent Hope and Livgren, FBI." Sam said, putting away his ID as Dean did the same. "We heard about your missing daughter and came down to help in the search for her." The woman nodded, stepping aside quickly.

"Come in, come in." She said; her voice nasal but quiet. "You heard about my daughter? Do you have any leads? Can you find her?" She asked quickly, before she stopped herself and shook her head. "Can I offer you any drinks?"

Dean shook his head, wandering into the room in which he'd seen the poster through the window. The inside was as well-kept as the outside, floors vacuumed recently, the windows clean, not a spot of dust to be seen around. The bookshelves were well stocked and the books well loved, and there were many pictures of the girl that had gone missing, from birth and through childhood, to a recent school photograph kept slightly more forward on a shelf. Taking the poster down and reading it more thoroughly, Dean turned around.

"She looks like a lovely young lady, Mrs…" He said, trailing off in the hope to get her name.

"Fairhead." The woman said, the smallest of smiles flashing on her face. It was a smile of renewed hope that there was a chance of finding her daughter. "Sarah Fairhead. But, just Ms. I've not been married for a very long time. Her name's Kasey."

"Kasey's a beautiful girl then. I'm sure we can find her. Right Sammy?" He said, looking over to his brother. The question directed at him wasn't just about Kasey, but Clara. Sam was the smarter of the two, he _always _knew. And even if he didn't want to admit it out loud, he was sure his brother knew.

"Of course." He said, looking over to Sarah and giving a small but reassuring smile. "D'you mind if we ask some questions about her behaviour in the days leading up to her disappearance. Anything out of the ordinary?"

The woman's face returned to the state it had been when the door had been opened at first, solemn and dark, with the light in her eyes being switched out in an instant. "She's a lovely girl. She always has been. Always done her homework, plenty of friends, a happy girl. She got good grades, always worked hard at school; her teacher's _loved _her… Before she disappeared, something changed in her. She was quiet, sat alone, and lashed out when people came near. She hit one girl and got sent home from school. I grounded her, and the next day when I went to check on her in the morning, she was gone." She explained, her voice now quieter and her eyes filled with tears. "The principal said she'd called the girl impure, that she'd go to hell for being an inferior being. Kasey's never been like that, she's never called anyone names, never cursed. I don't know what's gotten into her, but something changed."

Dean and Sam glanced at each other, giving a small nod before Dean asked his own question.

"What can you tell us about her eyes? Anything unusual?" He asked, receiving a strange look from Sarah, before he gave her a stern look. "We think we know what might have happened to her, can you remember?"

Sarah looked at him curiously, seeing no sense in what he was asking, but nodded. "They were darker, almost as if they were completely black. I-is that bad? Does it mean anything?" She asked, but Dean didn't reply, simply giving her a small smile.

"Thank you Ms. Fairhead, I think we've got enough for now. I can assure you we'll stop by if we need any more information, or if we find anything out about Kasey. Mind if we take this?" He asked, referring to the poster in his hand. As Sarah shook her head, he nodded and made his way back over to the door, Sam following close on his heels.

"We hope to be speaking with you shortly with good news, I promise, we'll find her."

Dean and Sam left the house together, walking down the drive and back to the street.

"You got something then?" Sam asked, looking to his younger brother, before Dean nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. There's a school around here, right? We should check the cameras, see what she did." He said, before grumbling something more angrily. "Why do they use kids? You'd have thought demons would have _some _manners, but no. They take bloody kids and use them. God knows what the girl's goin' through. She's stuck up there with some creature from hell controllin' her."

Sam said nothing, but nodded. He agreed with Dean silently, but didn't take too well to seeing him so worked up. It wasn't that he was bad; it was just that he never seemed to pass comment on something like this. He knew he was bad when he became emotional.

The walk up to the school wasn't too long, and there didn't seem to be anything too suspicious going on around them. Teenagers were leaving the gates as they arrived, all eager to get home from a day of what was meant to be learning, but what was more realistically probably just gossiping and annoying teachers, unless they were like the younger of the two hunters. The two walking in was an interesting sight for the students, two strange older men walking into a school when all the pupils were leaving tended to raise some eyebrows. But they paid no attention to the kids filing out around them, simply looking for the reception. It didn't take them too long to find, and soon long strides took them across the gravel and towards the front doors, opening them up to find a warm environment, certainly the last place you'd expect a demon to show up in. Dean made his way up to the desk, taking out his FBI ID and showing it to the woman quickly, watching as her eyes widened.

"I need to speak to the principal; it's about Kasey, the girl who went missing." He explained. "I'm Agent Hope; my friend over there is Agent Livgren. We need to ask a few questions. Don't worry, no one's in trouble." He said, flashing a flirtatious smile to the woman before she nodded and stood up, running off to fetch the principal. Turning to Sam, he smiled and Sam gave a frown.

"Trust you to be the one that changes completely when a pretty woman is dangled in front of him." He said, joking as he took a dig at his brother, before Dean shook his head.

"What, the heart wants what the heart wants." He said, chuckling to himself as he looked back around.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure it's your _heart _that wants it." Sam muttered playfully, before he stood next to Dean and leaned against the desk at reception. "What're you expecting to find here anyway? It's a school, there's going to be nothing here."

"If nothin' else, we make sure it's safe for the kids. Hundreds of Human's here, if it's one of Lucifer's trying to cleanse Earth, where else would you start if you've ended up in the middle of nowhere?"

Sam gave a small sideways nod of his head and looked on, waiting for the woman to return with the principal. It was a horrible thought, but he was sure Dean was right. The logic was there. But it was cruel, helpless pupils shouldn't be treated like that. They'd done nothing wrong, they were just kids. So when the principal walked out, the two straightened and held out their palms, both shaking the man's hand and nodding at him as they introduced themselves.

"I'm Agent Dean Hope, and this is Sam Livgren. With the FBI, here about the missing girl, Kasey Fairhead. We've spoken to her mother and we were wondering if we could just ask you a few questions, Mr…?"

"Phillips, Anthony Phillips." The man said; a polite smile on his face that quickly disappeared. It was clear that he was worried about Kasey, but everyone seemed to be. After all, from what her mother had told them, she was a straight A student, this was all out of character and alarming for everyone that knew her. Sam and Dean at least knew what they were dealing with. "My office is this way." He said as he released his grip on Dean's hand, using one to gesture forwards as the trio walked on, Anthony leading the way.

The boys sat themselves down opposite the desk, watching as Anthony closed the door behind them and took his own seat, leaning forwards and clasping his hands together. From closer observation, they could see that the man was in his 50's, or possibly younger. He smelled like a smoker, and his teeth were yellowed with age and cigarettes. His trousers were hugging his pot belly just a little too tightly, and his chin seemed to melt straight into his neck. A grey moustache was neatly trimmed, taking up the little room between his lips and permanently flared nostrils.

"What can I do for you?" He asked his voice gruff and throaty. "We're all keen to get Kasey back. She's been acting strangely, and we're all very worried about her."

"We need CCTV footage of the day she went missing, and of every day since then. We think we know what we're looking for, and we believe that the last piece of evidence we need to find her _could _have been picked up by your cameras." Dean said. "And keys to the school. We might come back later tonight, when the kids have all gone home. Don't worry, there's nothing to worry about. We just think that anything that might help us find Kasey a little faster is a good idea, cover all bases." He told Anthony, flashing his trademark Dean Winchester smile. While the man looked reluctant, he didn't hesitate in standing up and walking across the room to look at the keys on the wall, taking one set off a peg and walking back over to Sam and Dean.

"Don't think we go around handing out keys to just anyone, but you're FBI and we're missing a pupil. If this helps you find her and bring her home safely, then you're free to have them. Just, don't do any damage to the school, and make sure you give them back as soon as you're done with them." He said, before he nodded to Sam. "You can come with me; I'll give you the footage from the last week. 24 hours a day those cameras record, so you should be able to skip through most of it. We'll see you back in reception, Agent Hope."

Dean nodded as he watched his brother going off with Anthony, standing himself up and walking outside the office and back down to reception, scoping the place out as he did. The problem he had with schools was that there was a hell of a lot of windows and doorways, ways for a demon to easily escape. It could take hours to put salt down and even longer to set up traps in every room. It seemed that their job might end up being harder than they anticipated. And that was if Dean's theory of Kasey coming here even being right. Sighing, he ended up leaning back against the reception desk. Now that the woman had gone home, he had no choice but to let his thoughts linger back to his sister. She wasn't here, and all he could think of was the worst possible scenario. Which, to him, wasn't her being dead, but her being kidnapped. What if it wasn't even a supernatural being that had her? They'd never find her if that was the case, they were relying on her having been taken by something they _could _track down, that they _could _hunt. And that was if she'd even been taken. But still, every time Dean blinked, he just saw Clara, _his _sister, tied up and thrown away in some dark room, unable to defend herself as she was hurt and starved, or humiliated and abused. The very thought of her being treated in such a way made him want to throw up. But the chances of it were so minute, that he hoped it would never come true. After all, she was a hunter. However much he wanted to deny it, she was. She'd been raised by hunters, and if nothing else, she could be taken by something they tried to kill just for being related to them. And that made him _very _angry.

Upon Sam's return with a handful of DVDs, Dean nodded and stood up properly again, starting to walk towards the door.

"Thank you, Mr Phillips." Dean said. "I'm sure we'll find Kasey soon, we'll be in touch." Anthony nodded to the two men and watched them as they left, walking out alongside each other.

Sam and Dean didn't say a word until they had left the site, and then Dean was the first to speak up.

"So, we come back Friday night, cover the place in salt and traps and sit it out for the weekend?" He asked his brother, looking to him. Sam thought for a second before he answered.

"If you're right, don't you think we should come back sooner? We can close the school as a crime scene if we have to Dean. You said it yourself, she's an innocent child. Besides, who knows what she could do if we leave her another couple of days? We go back tonight." He said sternly. Dean didn't argue, he knew what his brother said was for the best. So he nodded, planting his hands deep into his jacket pockets as he walked back to the car with him.

# # #

The walk hadn't taken them long, and once they'd gotten in the car, they'd found a quiet little bed and breakfast to stay in for the night. With, of course, access to a DVD player. It took several bowls of chips, two orders of pie and three hours of watching back CCTV footage for something to catch their eyes. Dean was the first to notice it, hitting Sam's shoulder and making him pause the tape.

"There's somethin' there." She said, swallowing a mouthful of pie before he continued to speak. "Middle of the night, looks like the gym. Stick in the next one." He insisted, settling back on the bed as Sam heaved himself up and changed the disk. Dean grabbed the remote while his brother stayed by the TV, and he quickly fast forwarded through a day's worth of school. He slowed it to normal speed just before midnight, and once again, right on the dot, the girl appeared. Pausing just as her face became visible to the camera; Dean squinted and looked at it more closely.

"It's Kasey, isn't it?" He asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. It was clear to anyone looking that that was the girl they were looking for. Putting the plate of pie down on the bed he was sitting on, Dean stood up and brushed a few crumbs off his jeans before looking at his watch. "It's seven. We've got enough time to set up a couple of traps and lay some salt down, right?" He asked, looking over to Sam as he grabbed his gun from beside his bed and tucked it into his jacket pocket. Sam seemed equally prepared, standing himself back upright and crossing the room to grab a bag full of everything they'd need – an iron crowbar, a _huge _amount of salt, some spray paint, and one of many notebooks they had containing the exorcism. The two ran down the stairs, ready to jump into action.

"You've got to make sure she gets out of this alive." Dean warned Sam, looking back over his shoulder as they ran out of the building, feet crunching on the ground as they went. "She's just a kid; we're not lettin' anythin' bad happen to her. That demon can't hurt her."

Dean practically jumped into the Impala, watching as Sam's long strides quickly took his around the other side of the car, before he threw the bag in the back seat and sat himself down. Before Sam had even closed his door, Dean had already started up the engine and was driving away. Business seemed to be back to normal, at least for now.

Pulling up at the school, they got out of the car, Dean tossing the keys to the school to Sam as he grabbed he bag full of supplies, both of them walking together towards the school. They were sure they had plenty of time, and the fact that she'd gone into the same place both days made them sure they knew where she'd appear.

"You find a ladder and spray the ceiling, I'll salt the exits." He told Sam. "Shouldn't take us long to sort it out, and we can get her home to her mother tonight, be gone by morning. Last thing we want is to be here another couple of days. People'll start askin' questions, and that never turns out well." Dean joked, but it was true. People always found out the truth, and that usually landed them in a lot of trouble. It would probably be easier to tell them the truth from the start, but at least this way they got the information they needed. As Sam unlocked the doors, lights flickering on all around them, they went separate ways. "I think I saw the janitor's closet down by Phillips's office, should be a ladder in there. I'll find the gym and start workin' on the salt lines."

Sam nodded to his brother, walking in the opposite direction and back towards the office they'd been in the day before to find the closet, when the lights began to flicker. Turning around nervously, he tried to see something, _anything_, but there was nothing there.

"Dean?" Sam called back to his brother, hearing a faint _yeah _from the distance. "I think Kasey knows she's got visitors tonight."

Turning back around to continue walking on, he jumped. Standing in front of him was the girl they were looking for, but she looked awful. Her hair was a mess and her hands were stained crimson with blood. Blood that, unfortunately, looked like her own. Same stood for several long moments, breathing in and out to try and calm himself down from the shock of seeing her behind him so soon.

"Have you come to play, Sammy?" She asked, her voice as sweet as honey, running thickly from her lips as she gave him an innocent smile. "I've missed having my friends to play with. So I guess you'll have to do." Kasey took a step forwards, looking down at her hands and laughing a little. "And now you've got a bit of a problem, haven't you? You can exorcise me, send me back to hell and there's nothing to worry about. But poor little Kasey will die, and you'll have to tell her mother that she's dead and it was your fault."

"Where's Clara?" He demanded, not giving in to the demon's mind games. If he had to let a girl die, he wasn't doing it for nothing. The demon, it seemed, was as confused as he was.

"Your sister's missing?" It asked, starting to pace up and down the corridor. "Well, I tell you what Sammy. You send me back to hell, and I'll stick up some missing posters, let all the other demons know that another Winchester has gone AWOL, maybe we can play a little, game, see who finds her first."

The threat was enough for Sam; he was already at the end of his patience with the demon. Killing a child and threatening his sister were two things that a demon shouldn't do, not at the same time, and not at all. But they were the two easiest ways to make him angry and leave him vulnerable.

Dean was now walking up the corridor to find his brother, and when he saw the demon in front of him, his heart stopped for a second. That _thing _had killed an innocent child, and Sam was just standing and talking to it. Dean, not one for talking to something that had just killed a kid, took his gun from his pocket and aimed it over Sam's shoulder. He fired, not once or twice, but three times. Watching what was left of the girl fall backwards in pain; he made a run for Sam and, when standing by his side, tossed him the bag. Taking out a bag of salt, he quickly worked on laying out a less than neat circle around Kasey, but he didn't care about neatness. The sooner they could get the demon out of her, the sooner they could leave. He didn't want to be the one left to deal with a dead teenage girl.

Sam dug through the bag quickly, finding the notebook and flicking through it until he found the page they needed. Looking up at Dean, he waited. Upon the nod from his brother, he began to recite the words carefully.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii…"

As Sam spoke, Dean watched on as the demon started to cry out in pain. It was a sadistic pleasure, watching the demon suffer such pain, but he didn't care. It had _killed _a child. Dean wanted the thing to suffer.

"I can tell you where she is-." The demon said; panting for breath as it tried to lie and beg its way out of the torture. "Clara, I can tell you. I know exactly where she is. Don't you want to find your sister, or d'you want me to go back to Hell and tell all the other demons down there that she's theirs for the taking."

Dean's jaw clenched, his teeth grating against each other to stop himself from giving in to the demon. Of course he wanted to find Clara, he wanted his sister safe, but letting a demon go wasn't an option.

"D'you like that feeling Dean? The doubt in your mind, the choices. Your sister or a town, which would Dean Winchester chose to save? You know how much danger she's gonna be in as soon as the word is out? Every demon on the planet will be looking for her. The sure fire way to defeat Dean and Sam Winchester, possess their sister. They could never hurt her, they'd let her live if she did what I did, kill a child to live."

The demon was silenced for a moment, before letting out a scream of agony as Sam continued to speak in the background, undeterred by the words of the creature. Dean took it upon himself to load his gun with more salt shots, pointing it at the demon's head.

"One more word about my sister, and there's gonna be a fair few of these going through what's left of you." He said angrily. "And if any of you go near her, if any of you even _think _of possessing her, I'll come right down to hell and kick your ass."

"Don't think your return wouldn't be welcomed, Dean. It's been a while since we've been able to have fun with you."

"…Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos."

As the final words were muttered by Sam, there was an almighty scream, Kasey's head flying backwards and her mouth opening wide as the cloud of black smoke left her, disappearing through the ground as it was sent back down to hell. And the lights stop flickering, and Kasey fell to the floor, dead.

# # #

The bed and breakfast was silent, Dean and Sam both lying in their own beds, staring up at the ceiling, unable to speak but not wanting to talk about what had just happened. Of course, one of them had to break the silence, but it came a little sooner than expected.

"What the demon said, about Clara…" Sam said, looking over to his brother. "About, knowing where she is. D'you think that was true?"

A long moment of silence followed, causing Sam to think that Dean might be sleeping, before a gruff, upset, voice came from the other bed. "No." He replied simply, before he took a deep breath and rolled over to look at his brother. "I think they're just as clueless as us, but they're certainly not gonna give up until they find her now. And they've got number's on their side. How many of them versus two of us?" He asked, shaking his head. "I just hope we get lucky."

"We could call Bobby." Sam suggested. "I mean, just to let him know. He can get a couple of other hunter's on the job. It's not much, but it's something. The more of us looking for her, the more likely we are to find her before the demons do."

"Yeah, unless somethin' else has already got her." Dean grumbled, rolling onto his back again to stare at the ceiling. "We've gotta leave before the school open up tomorrow. Can't be around when they find Kasey. Maybe they'll think it was a suicide and leave it at that."

Sam didn't reply to the comment. He couldn't. It was too horrible to think about. But Dean was right, as soon as it was morning, they had to leave. Find someplace else to have breakfast, find another case and hope to God that Clara would be there. Now the demons new about the fact she'd gone missing, they had competition. And God only knew how far the demons would go to get Clara, but Sam and Dean were both sure that they would go further.

**AN: **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'm gonna try and make them all a bit longer and a bit more interesting now, so let me know if there's any creatures you want to see them fighting! And please review, thank you!


End file.
